The Critical Thinking Toolkit

Doctor Paula Beesley is a Senior Lecturer in Social Work and Academic Practice Lead at Leeds Beckett University, educator, researcher and author. Her teaching interests include critical thinking in communication skills, practice skill development and placement modules. Her research interests focus on pedagogical development. Her doctoral study identified a model of Collaborative Experiential Learning (Beesley, 2023) to support students on practice placement develop knowledge and skills. More recently, she has undertaken pedagogical research exploring the learning experience and environment for students with reasonable adjustments, inclusion of role play in teaching, the experiences of newly qualified social workers, and most recently exploring student poverty.Louise is a sociologist with specific interests in health policy and social policy. She is a Reader located in The Centre for Health Promotion Research, which she has co-directed since 2013. Louise joined the University in September 2005 and has taught on a wide range of modules including sociology, health policy, research, community and global policy and health care. She also manages a range of research projects and a team of research staff.Louise’s research projects are diverse and include a commissioned evaluation of the Way Forward Programme, a project to develop resilience in vulnerable young women with unmet need, the evaluation of a Department of Health Eatwell and Livewell Project to tackle malnutrition amongst the elderly, and the project management of the Sunderland Health Champion Programme.Louise has recently conducted a range of research with vulnerable young women, drawing upon feminist participatory approaches to data collection in order to give young women voice. Her research has been used in practice to improve interventions during their delivery and in securing future funding for further work in this area. Her other evaluation research is used in practice similarly to further develop interventions, and to capture the voice of service users.

This book provides a practical and clear introduction to critical thinking that is the perfect balance between being easily comprehensible but not oversimplified. It is an approachable and very useful guide that helps readers see how these skills can be applied in academic settings as well as various other areas.

• PART I: CRITICAL THINKING FOR STUDENTSChapter 1: What is critical thinking?Chapter 2: Why critical thinking matters at universityChapter 3: Becoming a critical thinkerPART II: CRITICAL THINKING IN LECTURES AND SEMINARSChapter 4: Critical thinking before lectures and seminarsChapter 5: Critical thinking during lecturersChapter 6: Critical thinking during seminarsChapter 7: Critical thinking after lectures and seminarsPART III: CRITICAL THINKING IN ASSESSED WORKChapter 8: Critical thinking and critical writingChapter 9: Critical thinking in essaysChapter 10: Critical thinking in presentationsChapter 11: Critical thinking in examsChapter 12: Critical thinking in practice learning and practical assessments: skills practice, role plays, experiments, placements, volunteering hours, apprenticeshipsChapter 13: Critical thinking and responding to feedback